Finishing a marathon is meant to be a euphoric expertise—the results of months (typically years) of relentless coaching, sacrifice, and self-discipline. But for a lot of runners, reaching the long-awaited end line can deliver up damaging and surprising emotions like hollowness, vacancy, and even disappointment.
Many runners name this emotional comedown the “post-race blues.” “There’s a lot build-up and a lot pleasure, after which rapidly, it’s simply over,” Rachel Gersten, a licensed psychological well being counselor and cofounder of Viva Psychological Well being + Wellness, tells SELF. “It’s not prefer it slowly tapers off. It’s simply executed.”
These bittersweet feelings can happen no matter how your race went. Certain, it is sensible to really feel bummed if you happen to needed to drop out or fell wanting your time purpose, however even finishing your dream race can deliver a way of pre-grieving: “You additionally acknowledge that this will likely by no means occur once more,” Gersten says. “Or it is perhaps years till [you] really feel this good at a race.”
So whether or not you’ve simply wrapped an enormous fall race, or have one developing in your schedule, right here’s what you possibly can count on afterward—and a few methods to manage, from therapists who’re additionally endurance runners themselves.
Put together for the rise and the autumn.
If you happen to count on to be driving excessive after incomes your medal however end up struggling as an alternative, you would possibly really feel responsible or surprise if there’s one thing improper with you, says Gersten, who’s run the New York Metropolis Marathon. This will ship you right into a spiral of damaging ideas, which is why it’s necessary to anticipate these lows as a typical a part of the method.
To permit your self somewhat emotional wiggle room, think about taking off the subsequent day (or take off yet one more day after you get house, if you happen to’ve traveled). Which means no work and no different massive obligations, if doable—and completely no understanding. “Give your self that interval to really feel the way you’re gonna really feel—to both be excited and to have a extremely enjoyable day, or to only sit on the sofa and really feel your emotions,” Gersten says.
Deal with your physique.
Any massive effort—particularly a race so long as a marathon—requires vital restoration. The fundamentals embrace practices like hydrating, foam rolling, and listening to any lingering ache that might sign an harm.
It’s additionally necessary to refuel. In keeping with Stephanie Roth-Goldberg, LCSW-R, CEDS-S, licensed consuming dysfunction specialist and founding father of Intuitive Psychotherapy in New York, many individuals don’t eat sufficient within the days after a race, both as a result of they’re too fatigued or as a result of they assume that since they’re operating much less, they should in the reduction of.
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